PPT slides from a recent webinar I attended on HE websites. Some interesting content...

1. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Higher Education Websites Jo Bridger, Head of Marketing, Eduserv Chris Vezey, Sales Director, Sitecore

2. Some Educational Institutions See www.sitecore.net

4. Apply the same rules to your website

6. Most Higher Education Websites are Untapped Resources Higher Education institutions’ websites in the UK have over 30 target markets Alumni Business Partners Media Research Community Prospective students (domestic and overseas) Current Students Recruiters / Future Employers

8. Days

13. No

16. Habit #3 PrioritiseYour Visitors’ Experiences Balance user experiences with website goals User experience must be first priority Create value Provide what visitors need, or what they didn’t even know they needed Benefits Increased retention Lower cost of communication Recruit higher quality students Increase university/college reputation and perception

18. Habit #4 Drive Value for Your Visitors Provide value Drive value; understand what they need and deliver it quickly Demonstrate utility of the information they provide Benefits Creates stronger collaboration Builds goodwill Stronger relationships for increased retention

20. Habit #5 Know where your visitor struggles Examine and evaluate what does not work Find the holes Identify what visitors seek, but can’t find Elicit feedback Offer expertise Benefits Help your students and prospects learn how to engage with you Lower customer support costs Stronger recruiting intelligence Competitive parity or advantage

23. Yes, occasionally

24. No

26. The University of Southern Denmark upgraded its Sitecore CMS in just one week. Having ½ million unique items and 800 editors working on content on a daily basis was no problem.

27. Habit #7 OptimiseYour Website with the Power of A/B Split Testing Marketers love metrics Use test and control mechanisms to analysemarketing effectiveness Learn what is working and what is not Prototype the customer response to new messaging and imagery Benefits Actionable knowledge of what is working on your website A low-cost channel for measuring marketing effectiveness Understand your segments more effectively

29. The Seven Habits Your Visitors Are in Charge Create Goal-Driven Sites PrioritiseYour Visitors’ Experience Drive Value for Your Visitors Know What Your Visitors Want Create a Dialogue with Your Visitors OptimiseYour Site with the Power of A/B Split Testing

30. Putting the Habits to Work Expect more from your website Drive more value by implementing these seven habits CMS Technology can support these goals